Definitely worth the lack of sleep I got.
A little over a week ago the Artemis I mission launched to the Moon, and it couldn’t have come at a busier time in the semester. Officially lifting off at 01:47:44 AM, I was near the Cape watching it live and in person. The two-hour launch window opened around 1 AM, so we left Daytona at 1:30 to make sure we could get down in time and find a spot- the launch was very popular.
My school schedule is a lot busier than it was last year, so I haven’t been able to go to a lot of launches. I did, however, go to a Falcon Heavy return-to-site launch where I heard two sonic booms. The launch was timed perfectly to go an hour and a half before class, so I was able to get back in time. That launch was in the morning, and this launch was my first night launch of the semester.
Of course, Artemis I was a popular launch so there were five people in the car driving down. Most people had proactively brought bug spray (I, unfortunately, didn’t) since this is Florida and there are mosquitos-a-plenty. The spot we chose was full of people, but we were still able to get a good view.
Most of the time was spent waiting on the rocket. I unfortunately didn’t get any good pictures since we were so far away, but we could see the launchpad. It was exciting since I’d seen the rocket on the pad during a trip to Kennedy Space Center, and when it launched, it lit up the whole sky. It was literally like daylight. I definitely do not regret going- I would’ve stayed up even later for the opportunity to see it.
I was pretty exhausted by the time the rocket was gone from sight, and I ended up promptly falling asleep on the drive home. Thankfully I was not driving, and after I got back to my apartment, I ended up going to bed immediately. When I arrived in class the next morning, I found out that a lot of my classmates were also tired from staying up to watch the launch.
On Wednesday afternoon, the College of Aviation hosted a forum day complete with free caramel apples, a Hungry Hippos–themed inflatable game, and a Wipeout-style red ball obstacle course. I played the Hungry Hippos game and ended up coming in last place, but it was fun nonetheless, and actually made it from one side to the other on the Wipeout game. It was definitely a much-needed break in between my classes.
After that, the week continued on through Friday and I had a weekend full of homework before ending up here- the week of Thanksgiving break. I’m excited for the break. I’m going home to Kentucky to see my family and pets, which will be fun. I’ll only be there for three days, but it’s a quick little vacation from school. Then it’s two or so weeks to finals, finals week, and then winter break- which will definitely be fun. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!
